Steel support beams have many applications. They may be used to support architectural forms and building structures. Steel support beams may also be used in building vehicles or rebuilding damaged vehicles.
Typically, a support beam, whether constructed of steel or another support material, is constructed of pieces joined at angular intersections. For example, two portions of a steel beam may be welded at a 45-degree angle, or a 90-degree angle, or another angle appropriate to the final use of the beam. Beams made of other materials may be adhered to one another, or may be bolted together with brackets, etc.
A beam that includes smooth curves will often require the use of a jig or fixture and heavy tools to form its final structure. For example, placing a beam in a jig and bending it progressively to a final structure may result in construction of a curved beam. Alternatively, first portions of a beam may be removed so that other portions may be bent, with the first portions (or replacement portions) of the beam then being placed in their final configuration.
Because standard support beams are limited in their ability to assume nonstandard shapes (such as a beam with smooth curves, or a beam with one or more broadened portions), and because support beams often require heavy tools to form, it would be desirable to make a beam with complex shapes and/or with a minimum of tooling and reshaping. The described support beams, and the method of making those beams, have such characteristics. It should be appreciated that the disclosed beams and methods may be constructed of a variety of materials, as desired for a given application, and used in many situations.
Typical steel support beams and their methods of manufacture are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,794,650, 2,844,864, 5,210,921, 6,058,673, 6,092,864, 6,305,136, 6,557,930, 6,733,040, 6,896,320, and 7,156,422, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.